The use of the Internet as a medium of both personal communication and commercial activity has increased substantially in recent years. Although the Internet has the potential to provide individual users with information content on an almost limitless number of topics, the typical manner of using the Internet suffers from a number of drawbacks. The user must specifically seek out the information he desires to obtain, and may in fact be unable to do so. For this reason, many people find using the Internet to be too labor-intensive to be effectively used. This manner of accessing information from the Internet is known as “pull” technology, since the user must “pull” the information from the Internet onto his local computer. Thus it is desirable to allow users to receive desired information over the Internet without time-consuming searching.
To alleviate the burdens associated with “pull” technology, the Internet communications industry has developed “push” technology which somewhat resembles broadcasting. In the “push” model, information is delivered, or “pushed” directly to the user's computer so that the user is not required to engage in a search for the information. Borrowing from broadcasting terminology, push-based content providers “broadcast” information via “channels” of information, each channel having different content such as news, entertainment, corporate press releases, stock information, and so on. Users pick the channels they are interested in receiving, and access each channel via their browser. However, much of the information in particular channels may be of little interest to the user, who has no way of limiting the information other than selecting particular channels which might be of interest. Thus, although the “push” model does relieve the user of the burden of searching, it may provide much information that the user does not desire.
To partially alleviate the problems of “push” technology, Internet content providers have developed “push-pull” hybrid systems. In one example, news headlines are “pushed” to the user's desktop, which the user scans. To access the full story, the user must click an icon, “pulling” the story to his desktop. Such hybrid systems, however, place a high burden upon the user of sorting desired and undesired information. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a system employing “push-pull” technology which does not overburden the user with undesired information.
Information from the Internet, as well as email communication, is typically unavailable to users in public spaces, when users are likely to engage in commercial activity and when users may need to send or receive messages from others. For purposes of the present invention, “public spaces” refers to places other than the home or personal workplace area of the user. Public spaces may include not only “common areas” within shopping areas, schools, and neighborhoods, but also areas which are privately owned such as individual stores and banks from which a user may communicate or access information via the Internet. In a preferred embodiment, each public terminal has a sponsor (such as a store, a mall, or a school or university) which provides the space for locating the terminal.
In addition to personal communications, persons in public spaces frequently have a need for general information, such as directions to a particular location or destination, which may be otherwise unavailable. Thus, it is desirable to provide a communications system using the Internet that provides users with access to a variety of useful information in public spaces. It is also desirable to provide such a system that is capable of learning the user's interests to filter unwanted information. It is further desirable to provide such a system at no cost to users.
While the Internet is commonly used as an advertising medium, Internet advertising portals do not provide businesses with a means of directly engaging Internet users because of the user-driven nature of the medium, which requires that the potential consumer initiate contact with the advertiser rather than the other way around. Thus, it is desirable to provide a communications system allowing Internet access in public places, and which allows businesses to specifically target users who desire information on particular products and services without requiring the user to search for them.
Personal communications over the Internet also suffer from a number of drawbacks. Although bulletin board or chat sites provide Internet users with the opportunity to communicate with other Internet users on particular topics, the Internet does not itself create a “virtual community” (since an individual must first find and then access the bulletin board or chat site) nor does it provide an individual with the opportunity to engage a community of users on a variety of topics. Local city or municipality based Internet sites likewise fail to provide a community of users for communication across any number of topics. Thus, it is desirable to provide a communications system using the Internet which creates a “virtual community” of users and which provides useful information to active persons in public spaces, when the user may have little other access to information.
Although existing communications systems using the Internet do not resolve the foregoing limitations, these systems do provide email or Internet kiosks or public computer networks in public spaces such as airports, hotels, and shopping malls. However, access to these networks is expensive and involves a relatively high per minute or per session charge. The high cost of such systems is exacerbated by the fact that the user must search for desired information, rather than simply receiving desired information that can be quickly reviewed. Inefficiencies inherent in Internet search engines may prevent the user from obtaining the desired information even after extensive searching, resulting not only in lost time and needless expense, but frustration to the user.
Fee-based access in public spaces is essentially the same as what the user would otherwise have at his office or home. Consequently, it suffers from all of the limitations of Internet service provider (ISP)-based Internet access. Such “pay per use” systems do nothing to alter the user-driven nature of the medium by relieving the user of the burden of seeking out desired information through search engines and other search techniques which can be both time-consuming and unsuccessful. Nor do fee-based Internet systems provide businesses with a way to engage Internet users in a dynamic, personalized way and thereby assist the user in obtaining information that the user desires.
The equipment used for existing fee-based access is bulky, has the look and feel of a traditional computer, and utilizes a standard browser or desktop interface. None of the networks offering Internet access for a per-session fee are intended to build a virtual community for which advertisers are willing to bear the cost of network construction and operation in exchange for access to these consumers. The present invention, by contrast, provides access to a network having both email and commerce oriented content at no cost to the user.
Manufacturers of small, handheld computing devices, such as the Palm Pilot™, have begun to allow their products to be used with on-board wired or wireless modems that provide access to ISPs to allow for sending and retrieving of email messages to/from the device. While such devices provide access to the Internet in public spaces, a number of drawbacks exist. The user must first purchase the hardware at prices ranging up to hundreds of dollars. Additionally, the user must have an Internet service provider account that allows for such service at an additional per-month cost. The unit itself must also be carried with the user at all times in order to access the account. Finally, the keyboard size and functionality of hand-held computing devices is limited by the size and form factor.
By contrast, with the present invention the information and communications services are provided at no cost to the user, there is no need to carry anything except a wallet keycard, and there is a full size keyboard available for sending and retrieving messages. The system also preferably includes a printer for providing the user with hard copies of desired information, and a credit card “swipe” reader for processing commercial transactions.
Cellular telephone carriers have begun to offer their customers messaging capabilities on certain cellular telephones. Additionally, there are several technology companies who are focussed on providing the cellular industry with software and servers to enhance the delivery of email and information to cellular telephones. However, while cellular telephones offer great utility for voice communications, they do not lend themselves to interacting with data communication, interactive information, and transaction processing. Given the functionality that most computer users have become familiar with on their desktop computer, the size and information display capabilities of cellular telephones limits their use as an effective means of providing consumers with access to the foregoing types of communication, and prohibits it altogether in many cases.
Accordingly, it is a purpose of the present invention to provide an integrated communication system that allows users access to email and Internet information while in public spaces. It is also a purpose of the present invention to provide a communication system that allows advertisers to directly engage potential consumers, and to specifically target system users based upon data indicating that the user is a suitable target for advertising/marketing content.